Undalas. Qurtaba. Gharnata. Ever since I was a boy limited to being awed by wonders contained in school textbooks, these words rolled off the tongue like ancient confections. For many still believing in contrived histories in Pakistan taught by a State that defines itself in religious terms, these names are still symbols of potent epic histories and exaggerated griefs of lost Muslim civilisations wronged a long time ago.

Allama Iqbal even wrote poetry about them. I’ve always wanted to go and see these places for myself; although along the way the sense of a contrived grief I hadn’t experienced was replaced by an urge to explore them for their own beauty.

On a whim, a few weeks ago, I included Andalusia in my 8-country explorative marathon. What a smart move and a fantastic dream come true!

The Andalusia region is no ordinary Spanish experience -- most Pakistanis generally limit their palette to mainstream Madrid and beautiful Barcelona. Andalusia, as they say, is the ‘Spain of the Imagination’, a dreamy, sun-kissed land where passion, poetry, and drama collide. Fearless matadors (now no longer in fashion), a Mediterranean strand the colour of soft sepia and foot-stomping flamenco symbolise this emblematic region. The southern Spanish region encompasses eight districts -- Malaga, Cordoba, Granada, Seville, Almeria, Cadiz, Huelva and Jaen.

I had less than three days and couldn’t see them all -- I couldn’t resist the charm of opting for Granada (Gharnata), Cordoba (Qurtuba) and Malaga. For the sake of my boyhood textbook-fuelled curiosity, I reluctantly dropped the chance to go to next-door Gibraltar famous for its whale and dolphin watching. That will be for another time.

It was a wondrous three days, exploring places whispering the legacy of a bygone era, crumbling Moorish castles and old Jewish quarters with their subtle seduction under dark blue, cloudless and soft-sunny skies. I saw ancient mosques and synagogues morphed into Christian churches but the romance of the past remains everywhere you turn. Swirling Arabesque patterns in Islamic architecture spawn a beauty that is difficult to describe. The melancholic notes of Gypsy soul in the strumming of Spanish guitar and Flamenco music and dance are so captivating. They more than matched the Fado, a bewitching Portuguese melancholic genre of musical lament that I was fortunate to have experienced in Lisbon last year.

Andalusia is experienced best as you walk the enchanting cobblestone streets and the never-ending courtyards basking under sunlight and filled with fragrant orange trees, which are everywhere. While Andalusia is a place of distinctions: snowcapped mountains, lush green river valleys, and wild gorges, the late summer of my visit had everything bathed in soft sunlight that added a shine to the seductive sights. From the magnificent Alhambra palaces in Granada and the Le Mezquita to the Great Mosque of Córdoba, Andalusia has some of the most thrilling monuments in the world that Pakistanis seem to be missing out on by not exploring this part of Spain.

My Andalusia started off from Malaga, one of the oldest Mediterranean seaports. Over 1,200 years old, the city’s landmarks reflect its checkered past -- ruins of a Roman theatre, the Alcazaba de Malaga, a breathtaking 1,000-year old Moorish castle built on the remains of a Phoenician lighthouse. I can’t resist lighthouses, and this was thrilling. Like most castles in Andalusia, the Alcazaba is built on a vantage point that offers stunning views on all sides. It also houses an excellent museum displaying last-century art, including some early Picasso works.

Malaga has remarkable beaches but I wasn’t here for the beaches -- the town itself with its old-world charm and narrow pedestrian streets with plazas filled with terraces of tapas restaurants was beguiling enough. A fantastic place in the city is the lively Mercado de Atarazanas, a permanent market hall offering fresh produce. Just the entrance itself is a sight to behold: the horseshoe-shaped Islamic gateway which is the only remaining part of the old Moorish shipyard. The Atarazanas has been beautifully renovated after being closed for years with its most striking feature being the stained-glass window that depicts the historic landmarks of the city.

The next stop -- a three-hour bus ride through mountain after mountain planted with never-ending olive groves -- was Granada (Gharnata). Ah -- I could imagine myself settling down in Granada! The world-famous Alhambra is visible from anywhere in the city. The extremely picturesque hilltop fortress built by Moors arriving from the deserts of North Africa over 700 years ago is the beating heart of the city. The sunsets and sunrises around it are stunning. You can’t help but be awestruck by the lush landscape of Granada, the soul of Andalusia, situated at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Although now predominantly Christian, Granada has inherited rich Islamic, Jewish, and Gypsy influences.

The Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the residence of the Moorish rulers of the Nasrid Dynasty for 250 glorious years and is a veritable museum of Islamic architecture. Surrounded by ancient walls, the Alhambra appears from afar to be an impenetrable fortress. This site was the last stronghold of the Moors in Spain. It is not easy to get into the complex without advance booking -- which I, foolishly, hadn’t done -- because not more than 10,000 visitors are allowed a day and there are always many, many more waiting to get in. The solution is getting in queue as early as 4am -- which I inevitably did -- so that you can get in at 9am!

The days are warm but the nights are chilly in Granada. I nearly froze to death in the small hours of the morning in pursuit of my 25-euro ticket but it was well worth the inconvenience.

Getting in, what sights to behold! The Alhambra complex comprises four groups of buildings on carefully landscaped grounds. The Alcazaba is the original 13th-century Moorish fortress, or rather the elegant remains of it, the oldest part of the complex. The Nasrid Palaces are the most splendid buildings of the complex with marvellous accommodations and public spaces used by the Sultans of the Nasrid Dynasty. Typical of secular Moorish buildings, they have plain exteriors but sumptuous interiors with decorative tile-work, flowers and fountained courtyards. Then there is the Palace of Charles built in the 1700s after the conquest of the Moors and used by the Spanish emperor as his summer palace. But absolutely gorgeous is what’s called the ‘Generalife,’ the expansive Alhambra gardens filled with shady patios, fountains, fragrant roses, and flower-adorned terraces.

For other ‘must-sees’ in gorgeous Grenada, I heeded local wisdom and took a couple of walking tours to explore the intricately-alleyed Albaicín district, the old Islamic town listed as another UNESCO World Heritage Site for its rich cultural and historic value. I also visited the Alcaicería, the colourful Arab Spice Market, with seductive and splashy goodies to entice visitors.

A walkabout in the hilly Sacromonte gypsy quarter in the evening was a delight with its old homes and cobbled stone Arabesque alleyways. You need strong legs to explore this hilly terrain and slippery slopes. Like everyone else, I topped off the Granada tour with the enchanting and authentic flamenco dance experience. An hour of dance and music at the legendary Cueva de la Rocio we got served an enchanting experience of wistful melodies of Gypsy guitar and flamboyant flamenco. This place has received many famous guests including the King of Spain, Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama and Mel Gibson.

It was time for the last stage of the Andalusian experience. I caught a comfortable bus that in two hours brought me to the charming Cordoba. Living in the deep shadow of its rich past, what a city! A thousand years ago, it was the capital of the Caliphate of Qurtaba. While even cities like Paris and Rome were in the Dark Ages, Cordoba was the most influential city in Europe. Like other cities in Andalusia, its history shows in the Moorish kingdom’s well-preserved architecture and traditions as well as ensuing civilisations.

All the shops I entered here were selling crafts and art, books, postcards, paintings and sculptures of great scholars Maimonides (a Jewish philosopher) and Averroes (a Muslim philosopher) who along with Christian scholars helped shape the eventual harmonious identity of Cordoba.

The must-see attraction for anyone, including all of us reared on a healthy dose of schoolbook legend captured in verse by Iqbal, in Cordoba, of course, is the again-UNESCO listed La Mezquita, the Grand Mosque. Its breathtaking interior is a forest of Islamic arches and columns striped at the top in ageing rust-red and on the interior periphery by a veritable feast of incredibly lush large-sized Christian art. The place is unbelievable: it was easily one of the best places I’ve been to in all my extensive travels all my life. The Mezquita, a mosque-turned-church-turned secular pilgrimage site, is one of the most magnificent Islamic buildings ever constructed anywhere. It may be lower in the hierarchy of divinity attached to it but for sheer beauty, ambience and aura, it beats even the Al-Quds in Palestine.

I entered through the best of its three entrances, the ancient but imposing Puerta del Perdon gateway that leads first into the expansive Patio de los Naranjos (the Patio of Oranges) planted with fragrant orange trees and palms. Even though the oranges weren’t in bloom, a strong, heady citrus scent hung heavy in the air. Crossing this, I entered the Puerta de las Palmas and found myself abruptly into the slightly shady interior prayer hall.

It is difficult to convey the grandeur of the sight I beheld -- about 900 awe-inspiring columns and arches inside! The marble and jasper columns are interlinked by rusty-red and greying-white horseshoe arches. The dozens of mehrabs -- prayer niches -- are built in the direction of the Ka’aba, of course. The principal mehrab -- the Mehrab Neuvo -- displays a breathtaking entire copy of the Quran created from a single marble block beautified with a great profusion of floral and geometric patterns among the verses.

Incomparable! The place is magnetic.

The mosque was converted to a cathedral over 500 years ago by the Catholic monarchs who while constructing an equally magnificent Catholic sanctuary with its Gothic choir right in the centre of the mosque, mercifully kept the basic framework of the Islamic architecture intact. The mosque-to-cathedral conversion while making for an incongruent sense of design ideologically ends up reflecting the affable multicultural heritage of the city.

No matter what one’s religious inclinations are, it is well worth visiting Spain for Le Mezquita alone.

Surrounding Le Mezquita are Cordoba’s historic quarters, the Juderia, an atmospheric neighbourhood of narrow pedestrian streets, peaceful courtyards and plenty of whitewashed houses adorned with potted flowers on the walls. The district is enticing for its lovely patios and shrubbery and boutique shops and restaurants famous for their delicious salted cod with olive oil, cool gazpacho soup and its citrus-infused ice-cream.

The region is best topped off by a slow walk over the historic nearby Puente Romano Bridge, with its 16 languid arches, a remnant of the city’s Roman era built to celebrate Emperor Ceasar’s win. The wind in your hair is the perfect balm to soothe your soul caught between the Then and Now.

It was time to take the bullet train to the bustling Barcelona and leave Andalusia behind. What a time-jump from the magical Moorish era to the electric-Now -- the best of both worlds!